


March On

by glittergrenade



Category: Dr. Dre (Musician), Eazy-E (Musician), Ice Cube (Musician), NWA (Band), Straight Outta Compton (2015)
Genre: Angst, Dre's one true love is dead, Homophobia, M/M, Regrets, Self Homophobia, Tribute, i guess?, rest in peace eazy-e, still not over straight outta compton, takes place right at the end of the movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-15
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-05-01 17:55:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5215202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glittergrenade/pseuds/glittergrenade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ice Cube listens to Dr Dre pour his heart out about how he really felt about Eazy-E.</p>
            </blockquote>





	March On

**Author's Note:**

> I will never be over this movie.
> 
> And… although I normally ship Dre with Eminem… except when I'm shipping Dre with wifey Nicole because let's face it they seem to really love each other… you know. Anyhow, I have respect for these men. They're some real American heroes.
> 
> RIP Eazy-E <3

"You calling it Aftermath, huh?" Ice Cube nodded slowly, trying in the corner of his head to figure out exactly what that meant inside of the deep deep head of Dr Dre. Dre just kept on marching on, that was his specialty. As his blood brother had died, as Eazy-E had died only very recently… It was plain to Cube that Dre was the farthest thing from okay, but that wouldn't stop the man working, wouldn't stop him inspiring. That was Dre.

"Uh-huh." Dre popped his fingertips in his pockets. "Aftermath. As in, the Aftermath… of every-fucking-thing."

"Aftermath be kinda just another term for new beginning, huh?" Cube paused, sucking his lip. Dre looked like he needed it, but gotta face it… Cube sucked at being the positive one.

"Hopefully," Dre sighed. "Wonder what E would think of it. If he'd be proud of me, or…" he stopped.

Of course. Cube had already guessed it was the aftermath of E's death — wasn't as if there was anything bigger that'd happened lately. Eazy mattered way more than the permanent finale of NWA. "Sure he'd be proud of you, Dre, he'd think it was dope. Remember, Dre, we said, remember he'll always be your brotha…" Cube paused, suddenly concerned he'd gone too far, after all that'd happened between his homies. Then he felt himself begin to choke up, horrifically. Fuck this. He missed E a lot.

Dre's face seemed to echo his own, and Cube bit his lip again, this time sternly. He couldn't break down now, he'd done that already, and Dre had been there for him. Now he had to return the act. Cube could be strong. He was strong. "I loved him so fucking much…" Dre whispered, eyes fixed on his feet. "I just wish I'd told him."

"Hey," Cube wrapped his arms around his homie, and Dre seemed to crumble into his body. Cube rocked him slightly, trying to reassure him. "Hey. E knew you loved him, I know he knew that. He knew you forgave him for everything. You woulda rapped alongside him again in NWA, we all woulda. That beef was behind y'all niggas already when he…" he trailed off. "Look Dre, E knew you loved him, and he loved you too, aight? You gotta know that." This whole situation was frustrating. Cube was still in pain, he knew he would be for some time; why did Dre have to punish himself?

"No, no," Dre straightened up, pushing Cube away and wiping his eyes, not meeting his gaze. "We was never over nothing, I never made up to him. He genuinely trusted that cheating cracka. He never understood. He never knew…" he stared emptily at the floor, and the tears began to freely dribble down his cheeks. Damn. At the moment, it was obvious Dre was in more pain than Cube was.

"He did know, Dre!" Cube always sounded scary angry when he was upset, and Dre's head jerked up instantly. "He's probably looking down at you right now from some cloud with a bunch of fat-ass black cherubs and loving you. You can't be mad at yourself, it ain't healthy. Sides, you was in the right."

"Cube, you don't understand…" Dre's eyes were pleading, but Cube didn't have time for him to continue beating himself up.

"You telling that to me, the guy who ditched y'all traitor asses first? I understand your beef, I had beef with Eazy too and I miss him like fuck, but ain't none of this your fault."

Dre coughed, his brow creasing in greater distress. "Cube, I — I loved him."

"I know! And I did too, and millions of fans, but they don't matter as much to E as you and me. E knew you loved him and he loved you too and—" he was interrupted.

"Cube, I ain't meant it like that."

"Okay. What you mean it like?" Cube was skeptical; just another way for Dre to beat himself up, huh? He'd blamed himself for not taking his brother on tour, maybe now he was blaming himself for E getting fucking AIDS in the first place? Yeah, Cube was salty, but not at Dre. He was just… salty.

"Cube, I loved him."

Cube studied Dre, it still not clicking. "Yeah, Dre…"

"I loved him real hard."

"I know, Dre, I know, he knew, he knows. Fuck it, c'mere."

"I didn't — I mean I did love him like that, he was my brotha, but I also loved him in — in the other way."

"Wait." Cube studied him in confusion, as a ridiculous thought dawned on him. "You talking in a faggot way?"

"Uh…" Dre paused. "Well, yeah." He was still crying. No wonder.

Cube wasn't sure what to say. Why would he… why would he be a faggot? This was Dre!! And… and he'd been sure Dre liked pussy. Could he like both pussy and cock? Was that a thing? "E never knew?"

"Ain't never told him." Dre's eyes were wide, imploring, as if desperate to know what was going on behind Cube's gangsta demeanor. They were all gangsta, and sure Dre looked way more hard muscle; but Cube knew he tended to come off meaner than any of them. It was just the way he was. But they were all tough. So how could Dre…?

"You… you really felt for him that way?" Cube asked haltingly.

"Emotions all over the place, dammit I felt for him. More than I ever fucking felt for anybody else. I'm not you, Cube, I wouldn'ta left mad like that 'less I did."

"You lyin', Dre, you would."

"Nah."

"Fuck yes you would! You left your other label to start fucking Aftermath!"

"Death Row was made of a bunch of moneyloving assholes. Nothing like NWA…" Dre hesitated, and his gaze fell to the floor. He crossed his arms. "Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I'm sorry, Cube, I'm so sorry. I just… I felt so passionate and I never told him, and then he went in the fucking coma so I told him I loved him then, but he couldn't answer and even if he heard he wouldn't understand… which is probably a good thing; I know he was scared to die and if he knew his homie was queer for him it woulda made it all harder, and… fuck it, I'm broken inside, Cube, I needed to tell somebody…" he paused, choking. "Listen, I understand you ain't gonn' wanna hang with me no more, but could you tell nobody? I… I just gotta pull my shit together…"

"What you saying?" Cube frowned. His head was still reeling in bewilderment, and sure he had to admit intrigued disgust, but Dre's last words hit him. "Of course I ain't leaving you, Dre. We both just lost our close peep, now you tryna push me away too?" Poor Dre. Despite any inhibitions about homosexuals, Cube couldn't help but feel horrible. Why did Dre hate himself so much?

"No, no!" Dre looked confused. "You's fucking important to me, I just thought…"

"You important to me too. So there we go." Cube clapped him on the shoulder. "Long as you don't start hitting on me, I be here. I love you."

"I love you too, Cube." Dre looked astonished. "As a friend."

"Then we good." Cube paused, studying Dre's face. Shit, he didn't deserve to feel that way. "But Dre, you should know, something little as your sexuality ain't gonn drive me away. I trust you, you couldn't help feeling for E, I know it ain't your fault. E would understand that. What you said about maybe it being better this way, that he never knew… E would understand, if he did know, is all I'm saying. He would still love you, even knowing you's queer. Y'all may've had issues but you can never be forever gone from a guy who you said Fuck Tha Police with. We was together once, NWA. We was real. Don't never forget that."

"I never could," Dre replied slowly, closing his eyes.

"My nigga," Cube patted him on the back. He felt Dre's arms go around him slowly, and Dre buried his face in his shoulder. "My nigga," Cube repeated softly, rocking him. Dre whimpered softly, very quietly, and Cube kept rocking. Dre was strong, he kept on marching on — but even he needed a break sometimes. A shoulder to cry on. And faggot or not, don't matter — Ice Cube was honored to be that shoulder. Sure, Cube figured he was pretty dope himself, but Dre he knew would live forever in history. Along with Eazy-E and NWA.

**Author's Note:**

> Long live Eazy-E, gone but never forgotten. xo


End file.
